Part Three of this book focuses on a number of different
techniques for collecting data. The first one we've examined is experients.
We'll examine the relative strengths and weaknesses of each method discussed.

Experiments have a special advantage of isolating
the effects attributable to an experimental stimulus. It is the most
controlled form of research we'll study. And to the extent that an
experiment is limited in scope and duration, it is particularly easy for
others to replicate. We gain confidence when different researchers
undertake the same or similar study designs and achieve the same results.

One of the biggest disadvantage of experiments is
their artificiality. There is always a question whether the things
we learn in a controlled, laboratory will hold true in the real world.
(This is one reason why we have so many different research methods.)
Also, while experiments are strong in terms of explanation, they are weak
in terms of description. They are seldom a good source of descriptive
data about any meaningful populations.